Experimental and numerical quantification of EV and PHEV battery pack thermal isolation strategies

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to quantify the effects of passive thermal management achieved through augmenting thermal isolation incorporated into an electrified vehicle’s energy storage system by design. Temperature changes within the cells are to be minimized over the typical 24 hour daily cycle when exposed to extreme ambient climates. Productionized thermal management solutions take the approach of increasing heat transfer through augmented system power to maintain cell temperatures in their operating range under demanding conditions. The intent of this work is to provide feasible design alternatives that reduce active battery thermal management requirements and thereby parasitic power losses for an electrified vehicle by applying fundamental engineering design principles. Considering a production intent vehicle envelope as a packing constraint, various methods of increasing thermal isolation are explored. Techniques are evaluated based on their overall effectiveness, as well as their ability to be packaged efficiently within a production energy storage system. Consequent cost and mass increases are considered as limiting factors when presenting the design alternatives.